Private individuals illegally nominated to boards of discoms: Delhi LG

New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has directed for the removal of the Delhi government's nominees on the boards of BSES discoms BRPL and BYPL for their appointments being "grossly illegal", LG office sources said on Friday.

Saxena has directed for the replacement of the "private individuals" appointed as nominees to the boards of BRPL and BYPL with senior government officers, they added.

The LG has taken the decision on the basis of an inquiry report submitted to him by the power department and the chief secretary, following a complaint on September 26, 2022.

"On account of the grossly illegal appointments of private individuals by the AAP government as its nominees, in total violation of constitutional provisions, on the boards of Anil Ambani-owned discoms (BRPL and BYPL), the LG has asked for the removal of these nominees -- Jasmine Shah (AAP spokesperson), Naveen ND Gupta (son of AAP MP ND Gupta), Umesh Tyagi and JS Deswal -- and replace them with senior government officers, as had been the practice in the past," one of the sources said.

The source added that the nomination of these private individuals to the boards of discoms was patently illegal "since due process of law was not followed and their appointment was void".

"These compromised nominees provided undue financial benefits running into thousands of crores to Ambani's discoms at the cost of the state exchequer and Delhi government-run undertakings (DTL, IPGCL and PPCL). The LG has asked for the chief minister to be informed about this and action be taken," the source said.

The report said the "private individuals" were appointed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government as "government nominees" on the boards of BRPL and BYPL in 2019, "despite written objections on file by the then LG, Najeeb Jung, on November 1, 2016 and LG Anil Baijal on August 11, 2017".

"In 2017, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sent a file proposing their appointment as government nominees, disposing which Baijal had directed that a cabinet decision in this regard be taken and sent to him so that he could invoke difference of opinion according to clause 4 of Article 239AA of the Constitution," the source said.

The sources added that the cabinet decided to go ahead with the appointments and instead of sending the file to Baijal, who would have invoked the said clause, "surreptitiously notified the appointment of these private individuals as government nominees on the boards of the discoms".